Image Credits: New AtlasVenus Aerospace may have achieved a world first by successfully flying a Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) in the U.S.—a propulsion system that uses supersonic explosions and could power future hypersonic vehicles.On May 14, 2025, Venus Aerospace conducted a test flight at Spaceport America near White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico,...
Credit: PixabaySwabs collected from China's Tiangong space station have uncovered traces of a previously unknown bacterium, exhibiting traits that could enable it to survive in harsh conditions hundreds of kilometers above Earth's surface.New Bacterium on Tiangong Space Station May Help Protect Astronauts and SpacecraftResearchers from the Shenzhou Space Biotechnology Group and the Beijing...
Credit: PixabayGrowing evidence suggests that a hidden secret beneath Mars' dusty red plains could change our understanding of the planet: a massive reservoir of liquid water, buried deep within its crust.Mars, dotted with remnants of ancient water, has fascinated scientists as they unravel the mystery of what happened when the planet became cold and...
Credit: PixabayIn 2024, a system designed to detect sudden brightening events discovered something strange. However, the automated system meant to identify the object couldn't determine what it was observing. Nearly a year later, we know it was the first tidal disruption event—where a star is torn apart by a supermassive black hole—seen in visible...
Credit: PixabayFor the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, NASA has officially received a spacecraft designed to carry humans to the Moon. On Thursday, Lockheed Martin, the primary contractor for the Orion capsule, handed over the Artemis II spacecraft to NASA's Exploration Ground Systems team at Kennedy Space Center.NASA is scheduling Artemis II...
Credit: PixabayA relic from the Space Age is set to return to Earth as the long-dormant Soviet Kosmos 482 Venus lander, launched in 1972, plunges into the atmosphere around May 10.During the Cold War, the Soviet Union ran an ambitious lunar and deep space exploration program from 1959 to 1989, competing with the United...
Spectrum ending on a bangIsar AerospaceContinental Europe’s initial attempt at an orbital space launch came to an unexpected end when Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum rocket returned to Earth with a bang just 30 seconds after takeoff. The rocket crashed and exploded in the Norwegian Sea near the launch pad.Details of the Inaugural Flight from Andøya...
Astronaut Suni Williams on the ISS. (NASA)NASA announced on Tuesday that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will remain on the ISS until at least late March due to an unexpected delay in their return mission. Originally arriving in June aboard Boeing's Starliner for an eight-day stay, issues with the Starliner's propulsion system led NASA...
NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft as seen when it was unveiled at a ceremony earlier this year at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works factory in Palmdale, CaliforniaNASA/Steve FreemanNASA 's X-59 aircraft has been progressing toward its first flight since development began in 2016, with the goal of resurrecting commercial supersonic travel. Next, the agency...
Pilot cam view from Aurora as it reaches 82,500 ftDawn AerospaceThe dream of commercial supersonic flight is inching closer to reality. On November 12, 2024, Dawn Aerospace’s 16-ft (4.8-m) autonomous Mk-II Aurora rocket-powered plane reached Mach 1.1, officially breaking the sound barrier.Since the Concorde’s retirement in 2003, civil supersonic travel has largely faded into...
